Book Review: Broken Blade by J.C. Daniels

Title: Broken Blade
Series: Colbana Files, Book 3
Author: J.C. Daniels
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Sensuality Rating: Mild
Source: review copy provided via NetGalley
Published: January 6, 2014 (self-published)

Kit Colbana: assassin, thief, investigator extraordinaire. Now broken. She always expected her past to catch up with her but never like this. Haunted by nightmares and stripped of her identity, she’s retreated to Wolf Haven, the no-man’s land where she found refuge years before. But while she might want to hide away from the rest of the world, the rest of the world isn’t taking the hint.

Dragged kicking and screaming back into life, Kit is thrust head-first into an investigation surrounding the theft of an ancient relic...one that she wants nothing to do with. Her instincts tell her it’s a bad idea to just leave the relic lying about, but finding it might be just as bad.

Forced to face her nightmares, she uncovers hidden strength and comes face to face with one of the world’s original monsters.

If she survives the job, she won’t be the same...and neither will those closest to her.

Reviewed By: Sara

In a Nutshell: Broken Blade is Kit's journey out of physical, emotional and mental darkness. The reader follows Kit as she slowly makes her way back to her life and her work as an investigator.

The Set Up: The events at the end of Night Blade (Colbana Files #2) were like a sucker punch to the gut that left anyone with a heart snot-sobbing in a fetal position. Broken Blade picks up 4 months after the events of Night Blade as Kit is forced to decide whether or not she will remain broken or begin the road to healing.

Why I Read this Book: I love kick-ass heroines. Give me a chick with a blade and some bad guys to kill and I am good to go.

Broken Blade is the third book in J.C. Daniels' Colbana Files series and even if book two hadn't left me in a complete state of shock, I would have still picked this book up. J.C. Daniels writes well balanced heroines that can be strong, smart, capable, and dangerous heroines that also possess a vulnerability that makes them genuine feeling.

What I Liked: This is going to sound horrible, but I liked watching Kit struggle to surface after the crushing events of Night Blade. Trauma is real, it happens to people, and we aren't all able to pop up like a jack-in-the-box and start right back into life, relationships, and work. By showing Kit struggle, fall, get back up, and kick and scream her way to an existence that somewhat resembles her life before Night Blade, J.C. Daniels maintains a credibility in the voice of her character.

What I Also Liked: I love the supporting characters of Broken Blade. None of J.C. Daniel's other characters seem superfluous. As much as Broken Blade is Kit's story, each side character is well written and multi-dimensional. Whether the character is a teenage shifter, a patient, smoldering Alpha, or a witch with the powers of metallurgy, each character plays a part that enriches and progresses the story.

What I Didn’t Like: I would have liked a bit more romance in Broken Blade. I can totally understand why the author opted for only a hint of romance, but I still wanted more.

Overall Impression: Broken Blade is great, but if you haven't read the previous books in the series you'll be irrevocably lost. If you're a fan of Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series or Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, you need to pick up J.C. Daniels' Kit Colbana series.

Sara’s Rating:

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